


Millenium

by Feori



Series: Eden [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, M/M, Prequel, Preview/Overview
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-09
Updated: 2013-10-09
Packaged: 2017-12-28 22:15:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/997554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Feori/pseuds/Feori
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Part 1 of 3 in the "Eden" series. A snap shot of some of the turmoils that Levi and Eren go through in Part 2 and 3.</p><p>Between recognition of his feelings and acceptance of his...rather, their fate, Levi had no idea what path a certain Eren Jaeger had hurtled them towards. All he could do was hold on for dear life and ride this shit out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Millenium

**Author's Note:**

> The Eden series begins at the end of the anime and will end in an AU continuation (Part 3). It follows Levi and Eren's relationship's development, their battle as humanity's strongest and humanity's hope against the titans, and the unavoidable consequences of their decisions.
> 
> Though this story seems more of a collection of (rather out of place) drabbles, it is meant to flow directly into Part 3 rather than Part 2 of the series. It's confusing, I know, I'm sorry. I am not a smart person. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy and look forward to Parts 2 and 3!

_The hand in his went limp. Lips parted in a final sigh of happiness. Eyes dulled, no longer shining with the brilliant light he could drown in as they slid shut._

“EREN!”

Levi woke up suddenly, eyes shooting open and a cold sweat on his brow. He was in his bed, alone, the sheets tangled in a huge mess that only he could have caused. He sat still for a moment, his breathing coming out in short and uneven spurts. It was only when he brought a hand up to his face to wipe some of the (disgusting) sweat away from his forehead that he noticed he was crying. A tear slipped down his cheek before he swiftly wiped it away and harshly rubbed his eyes to prevent any more from dropping.

It had been years since then, but the nightmares still lingered. They were no less vivid than when it happened. Time healed most wounds, but this one refused to give him any refuge. Levi took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, willing the tightness in his chest to go away while he lay back against the headboard of his bed. He glanced at the drawer beside him, habitually moving to turn off the light on top of the night stand that was still on from the night previous. His hand stopped suddenly, stilling over a familiar patch of blue and white.

The badge that _he_ used to wear. The proof that _he_ lived.

Levi slowly picked the badge up as though it would wither away at any moment, bringing it to his lap where he fiddled with it. He ran his fingers over the uniform rough ridges that formed a blue and a white wing, deep in thought. He could still hear his voice and feel his touch. Even in his dreams.

Levi lifted the badge to his lips and placed a soft kiss upon it, the same way he used to kiss the forehead of a certain obnoxious brat to calm him down.

“You better not have forgotten me.”

He set the badge down in its original resting place before swinging his legs over the side of the bed with renewed strength. He put on his pants and was in the process of buttoning his shirt when a light knock sounded at the door. Only two people would visit him at this time in the morning, and one of them never bothered to knock.

“Come in, Erwin.”

The blonde entered Levi’s room quietly. He quickly noticed that Levi’s eyes were slightly red from the harsh treatment and that the familiar badge was still on the night stand, but he said nothing. The taller man walked over to Levi’s uncharacteristically messy bed and sat down, his hands intertwined.

“Levi. Hanji has notified me.”

Obsidian eyes widened slightly. A brief flash of hope and relief shone in them.

“It’s ready. You can-“

Before Erwin could even finish Levi had scoffed at him, back to his usual self. “What do you take me for, Erwin? If I leave now what will happen to everyone? My job isn’t over.”

“This ‘job’ was never yours in the first place, Levi,” Erwin informed the man sternly, continuing before Levi had a chance to interrupt him, “You know that the longer you wait, the longer the distance between his entrance and yours, the less chance that your lives will collide. You promised him, Levi.”

He narrowed his eyes and showed a brief flicker of pain. He knew indeed. As much as he tried not to think about the slow passing of time and the widening gap between them, a clock was always ticking in his head, drumming away his resolve. “Who will take my place?” he surrendered.

“Who else?” Erwin replied without missing a beat. “I’m missing an arm, Levi, not a brain.”

That earned him another scoff.

“I have time to spare, unlike you. When you find him I’m sure he’ll be more than just grumpy.”

It was uncharacteristic of Erwin to use such a word, but Levi couldn’t help but lighten up. He felt a twitch of his lips- by now a foreign feeling to his heavy heart.

“He’ll probably even try to purposely avoid you for a while, thinking that doing so would teach you a lesson.”

“He would do that, wouldn’t he?” Levi couldn’t help the grin that came to his lips as he reminisced.

“It’s been so long since you’ve smiled,” the commander couldn’t help but note, reaching up to lightly mess up the man’s ebony hair. Levi chose not to stop him for once.

“I’m sure we will meet again. Now go. Find him.”

Levi nodded, hesitating for only a second longer. He raised his right hand to his heart, pulling his other arm behind him in the traditional salute that had slowly been lost in their time of peace. “Thank you, Erwin.”

Levi grabbed the patch on his bedside and left without turning back.

* * *

 

“Na, Levi,” Eren called over to the nonchalant man who was resting beside him on the grass.

He actually lay on their jackets rather than directly on the grass, which Eren couldn’t help but snicker at the fact that he fit on their jackets alone. This of course had earned him a quick slap to the head.

“Hn,” Levi grunted back.

“What do you think it means to be the freest person in the world?”

Silence followed his question and Levi didn’t even give him any sort of acknowledgement. Curious, Eren flipped on his side and peered at the unmoving man who continued to stare up at the clear blue sky above them.

“Leeeeviiii,” the boy called again. This time the subject’s eyebrow gave a twitch before Eren found himself with yet another bump on his head.

“You didn’t have to hit me! You weren’t answering my question and I thought you’d died from the germs seeping through our jackets or something.”

Levi cringed inwardly at that very thought, deciding that they had spent more than enough time idling about for the day. People were definitely going to start looking for at least one of them, if not both, and it wouldn’t help their situation at all to be caught together like this. He swore that sometimes the military was worse with gossip than the civilians inside the inner walls. The man sat up and collected their jackets with a sneer of disgust, ignoring the frumpy looks that the other was casting at him.

“Aren’t you going to answer me? It was a serious question!” Eren prodded once more, desperate for an answer.

Levi gave a sigh. The brat didn’t know when to shut up. That fact was hardly new.

“The freest person in the world…is the person with no regrets.”

He turned and began walking back to the barracks, leaving Eren behind with a bewildered look on his face.

* * *

 

Eren wasn’t sure how he had gotten himself into this situation. He really had no idea what had gone so horribly wrong. There really was no punishment worse than what he faced right now. No, not even being kicked in the face and stomach by Levi that one time was worse. Hell, not even that time that he, Mikasa, and Armin were almost blown to bits was this bad. This time he really got himself into trouble.

“Oi, do you not respect me enough to even pay attention?!”

The whirr of a fist narrowly passing past his right cheek made Eren snap back into reality suddenly.

“H-hey! That was a little too close for comfort!” the boy shouted from the ground where he had fallen in a last ditch effort to avoid the attack.

“Tch. Like I care. If this were a real battle you would have been dead long ago.”

Eren frowned at the man above him. Of course heichou wouldn’t give him a break, but it really was for his own good. Though his battle technique was improving bit by bit using both his 3DMG and titan form, his last encounter had been far too close for comfort. Heichou even had to risk himself to obtain Eren’s depleted form from his titan near the end of the battle. It was since then that heichou had ordered Eren to train purely in hand-to-hand combat with none other than himself. Needless to say Eren had never even gotten close to winning against the older man.

“If you ignore me one more time I’ll make sure I don’t miss next time,” Levi’s deadly serious voice roused Eren from his thoughts, causing a shiver to go up his spine.

“I-I was just thinking on how to improve, sir,” Eren replied quickly.

“Well, you can start by getting your ass off of the ground.”

“Yes sir!”

As he stood up and brushed himself off Eren had to admit that heichou was being surprisingly patient today. Every day for the past two weeks had involved Eren getting his ass handed to him over and over for hours before they would stop. He was lucky that his titan powers sped up his regeneration, otherwise he didn’t think he would have lasted past the first day.

Eren got into his usual fighting position and faced the raven haired man. He had the hardest time fighting against the style Levi utilized. He was terribly quick and accurate, even more accurate than Annie was, and yet he could strike with just as much strength as someone who specialized more in power than speed. Before Eren even realized it Levi had quickly closed the distance between them, leaping into action the moment the boy faced him. Emerald eyes widened briefly, caught slightly off guard, before he quickly reacted and moved to block the obvious attack to his side. Which would have been good, if it wasn’t also a feint.

Levi swiftly pivoted on his front foot, the momentum causing him to reverse directions and strike at Eren’s other side. The strike knocked the wind out of him but he endured through it- at the very least it was a lighter hit than normal due to the sudden change in momentum. If there was one thing he had going for him it was his stability and perseverance.

He lifted his arm up, determination reflected in his eyes. Levi hesitated briefly, unsure what to make of the maneuver. Eren took his opening and swept his back leg outwards, intending to trip Levi using Annie’s signature technique that he picked up. Unfortunately his strike was too slow and Levi’s reaction time was too good. Eren’s move was just a hair off target, dodged merely by jumping over it. Within a split second the brunette found himself staring back up at the blazing sun again. He heaved a heavy sigh, repeating Levi’s movements in slow motion in his head over and over again.

“That was better. Where did you learn that from?” Levi asked, bending down to peer at Eren’s face.

The boy stayed silent. He still hadn’t completely gotten over what had happened between him and Annie. The pain must have shone through in his expression though since Levi stood once again with an odd look on his face that Eren wasn’t accustomed to seeing.

“Focus more on your own position this time. You pay too much attention to your opponent and aren’t conscious enough of your own technique,” Levi instructed as he walked a pace away from Eren before turning back to face him. “Now, again.”

Eren rose silently, not bothering to brush himself off this time. The corporal’s movements from their last fight was still repeating in his head. The movements got slower and slower in his mind’s eye until he was able to accurately follow them. Still hurting from Levi’s last strike, Eren winced as he got back into position. This was going to be all or nothing. He exhaled slowly.

“Ready.”

This time the roles were reversed. The moment that Levi put his hands up Eren had dashed forward suddenly, much as he had when he fought Annie their last time. Used to Eren’s rather straightforward attacks Levi was already in a good position to block any strike he could have landed. Instead of a frontal attack Eren had rotated his foot to slice at his side. Levi was ready to block the attack and begin lecturing Eren again before the boy’s momentum suddenly shifted to spin and strike at his other side. Eyes widening, Levi immediately recognized that Eren was copying his own move however and followed the flow of the movement to do his own spin and knock Eren down once more. This time he followed through his movements and pinned the boy down, his hands covering Eren’s. The soldier looked up at the man in surprise, a faint blush evident on his cheeks. Levi smirked down at him.

“Not bad.”

* * *

 

Levi sighed for the fourth time that day. Today had been particularly boring. In the morning he had his usual cup of coffee and felt rather satisfied until he took a glance at his neatly written out schedule. It was filled with nothing but pleasantries to people he honestly didn’t care about. He was definitely going to need another cup of coffee. Maybe even two. It was for this reason that he ventured down to the bottom floor, something he didn’t do on a normal basis. The bottom floor was filled with the bottom class servants doing everything from washing clothes to fueling the bath system a couple of floors above them. It was also the only place he could run to where he wouldn’t be bothered by his ever-persistent aide.

As Levi walked briskly past the servants who bowed and mumbled greetings a flash of red caught his eye. Compared to the drab colors that the servants normally wore the red was vibrant and stood out easily in the crowd. It was also a red that he had become accustomed to seeing long, long ago. It belonged to a certain girl with black hair and grey eyes. A certain girl who used to protect a certain boy.

Levi stopped in his tracks suddenly at that realization. The person that the scarf belonged to was turned away from him so he couldn’t see their face. Working next to the person was a short-haired blonde kid, busy helping the other wash a pile of clothes. There was no mistaking the two. It had to be them.

“Mikasa,” Levi called out.

The person paused in their scrubbing. Levi held his breath unconsciously and his heart was pounding rapidly. Slowly the person in question turned, dropping the soapy clothes back into the large tub below them. Grey eyes peered emotionlessly at the man. It was her after all.

He made his way towards her across the room, slowly at first, but quickly gaining speed until he was almost running. Before he could reach her however a figure darted out in front of him and he crashed into the person, falling onto the hard stone floor.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing,” Levi asked, a dangerous tone in his voice as he glanced up at the person he had run into.

Green eyes stared down at him, alight with worry and panic. The boy habitually brushed his hair back in a nervous habit all too familiar to Levi.

“I’m so sorry sir! I really didn’t mean to run into you, but I was in a rush you see, and,” the boy he had run into babbled on, the rest of his sentence going unheard by a shocked Levi.

“Eren…,” Mikasa interrupted the boy’s rant about how he really honestly didn’t mean to run into anyone.

“You-“ Levi began, reaching out to grab Eren’s hand, but he was intercepted by another’s.

“Sir, are you alright?”

The hand that grabbed his was none other than his aide’s. Levi inwardly cursed the man to all sorts of torture and hell before he regained his composure. If there was one good thing he got out of this life it was the ability of complete self-control.

“Yes, thank you, but don’t touch me,” he muttered, practically slapping the offered hand away from him, “This…boy…had accidentally run into me.”

“I’m deeply sorry sir, he will be punished and reprimanded for this I assure you,” the aide began with a sincere bow. Eren bit his lip and looked downwards, dreading what was to come.

“No. Don’t worry about it, Auruo,” Levi cast a side glance at the boy. His heart clenched when he saw Eren’s relieved face. He had to distract the man before he insisted on some form of punishment. “Anyway, you were looking for me?”

“Ah yes, I was. There’s been a sudden change to the schedule and you’re needed upstairs immediately.”

Levi simply nodded. “I understand. Let’s go.”

With a final glance at Eren and Armin’s stunned faces and Mikasa’s ever emotionless one, Levi took his leave. It wouldn’t do to cause such a commotion and then stay longer than was required anyway. He had already brought unneeded attention to Eren by dismissing his punishment, something that he was never known to do. Eren simply stared at his back, puzzled as to what just happened.

‘I have to leave for now, but don’t think that you’re safe hiding there, Eren. The moment this is done, your ass is mine,’ Levi thought to himself, following behind the ever-talking Auruo. His usual scowl lightened and a smile tugged at his lips. ‘I finally found you.’

It had been a long time since Eren felt as relaxed as he did now. The boy was still not completely up. A comforting warmth engulfed him and he had no intention of leaving it anytime soon. He didn’t recall his bed ever being this inviting… That was when he realized that he wasn’t in his own bed. Jolting upwards suddenly, Eren didn’t realize that his movement had also awoken the man who was sleeping next to him.

“Oi, brat, get back to sleep,” the form beside him ordered.

“Y-yes sir,” Eren answered almost instinctively. He was in too much shock to do anything other than lie back down, facing the door.

“We’re alone here. Just call me Levi.”

A thousand things were going through Eren’s mind. What had happened the night before? He could recall snippets- laughter, getting into a fight with Jean, even being reprimanded by Levi who sat alone in the corner- but everything started to get quite blurry after Hanji had appeared and practically forced him to drink some concoction “for science”. Eren knew he shouldn’t have trusted that mad woman. He humored her although it was obvious that she was up to no good, and now here he was…in none other than the corporal’s bed.

Eren lay there petrified. He was still trying to figure out what had happened during the night. He nearly jumped out of the bed when he felt a body pressing gently against his back, an almost inaudible sigh blowing past his ear.

“S…Sir!”

“What.”

Eren gulped at the irritated tone the man behind him had. It was his signature ‘if you talk I’ll shove my boot in your mouth’ type of reply. Yet Eren couldn’t see any way to get himself out of the current situation, and he was getting more excited than he should over this. He noted with a twitch in his eye that the man behind him didn’t seem troubled by his own morning wood.

“What are you doing?!”

Levi didn’t reply at all. It felt like forever to Eren before he got any sort of response from the corporal. The man backed away from Eren’s form slowly, as if he suddenly realized the situation himself. Eren almost missed the warmth that slid away from his back.

“You don’t remember anything, do you?” He questioned, his voice suddenly lower than normal.

“Uh…I…”

Eren fumbled for words. He really didn’t have any clue about what had happened. He turned to face Levi and noted the especially sour expression the topless man had. If he didn’t make something up right now, Eren was sure he would die a most painful death in a few moments. He knew that, yet his battered pride wouldn’t allow him to utter a single excuse.

“N…No?”

In a quick movement Eren was shoved off of the bed, landing face first into the cold stone floor. He turned back towards Levi and opened his mouth to ask what the hell that was for. He never got the chance however, as Levi swung himself over the bed, stood, and practically shoved Eren outside of his room. Before he could say a single word he found himself outside, staring at the now closed door in front of him. The boy wondered what the hell that was about- all he had wanted was a simple explanation- and thanked his lucky stars that it was still too early in the morning for anyone to have seen Levi kick him out of his room.

He stayed outside of Levi’s room for a while longer, still trying to remember anything, anything at all, about the previous night. After minutes had gone by with no success, Eren decided that he had to just ask someone who was there that night. He decided that he’d ask Armin and, if he proved to be no help, Hanji. Someone would surely tell him what happened, right? He got up, rubbing his now sore back, and slowly made his way back to his room.

* * *

 

_Pat. Pat. Pat pat pat pat. Shhhhhhhhhhhh._

The sound of the sudden rain went largely unnoticed by the brunette boy who sat panting in the slowly decaying titan body he had controlled not long prior. Tears, teeth marks, and bruises littered the tough skin- evidence of the battle he had just suffered through. He tried to catch his breath- this was already his second shift and it was taking its toll. No matter how much he tried to calm himself down his heart wouldn’t cease racing and clenching. The rain increased in frequency, washing away the blood stains and evidence of the hundreds who died all around him while he fought. It washed away the blood stains, but it couldn’t wash away the bodies.

“EREN!” a voice called from above before a figure landed before him. It was Hanji.

“Eren, are you okay? We can’t stay here, it’s too dangerous and we’re running out of time. Already the fourteenth squad has been wiped out. We need to get moving. Eren? Oi, can you hear me?”

Hanji reached out towards the boy, grabbing his shoulder in a firm grasp. They didn’t have time for this. Not when people were dying by the second to buy them time. Though she shook his shoulder gently she still got no response. Eren stayed on his hands and knees, panting at an alarming rate. Hanji frowned. She really didn’t want to have to do this, to let him know, but at this point there was no turning back.

“Eren. In the battle at the front…they won, it’s clear. But…Levi-heichou’s squad has also been wiped out. He’s missing.”

Eerie green eyes alight with nothing short of absolute fury turned towards the woman, making her take a few steps back suddenly.

“I-I’m sure he’s fine, though, he can’t die!” Hanji weakly added. All she had wanted to do was get him up and moving again. She knew she made a mistake.

Within a moment’s notice Eren had partially transformed. The muscles and bone were all there, but his skin refused to form, making him resemble the colossal in looks albeit not in height. He was roaring in that horrible, animalistic scream that only titans were capable of, forcing Hanji to clamp her hands over her ears.

“Eren, stop! If you force another transformation in this state, I don’t know what will happen to you! Please, you’re too weak to do it again!”

Her pleas fell on deaf ears. Eren continued to roar and thrash, forcing his transformation to complete. Hanji used her 3DMG to get to safe ground since Eren’s thrashing was causing the already fragile buildings around them to dislodge any rocks or wood that was loose in them, making the materials fly everywhere. Eventually his skin formed and before Hanji knew it he was gone, running off in the direction of the front. All she could do was pick herself back up and follow behind his thundering feet as close as possible. She had made a grave mistake indeed.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think of the snippets so far! And let me know if there's something in particular you'd like to see in Part 2. Thank you!


End file.
